


A Song of Suns

by amidtheflowers



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky working through issues, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, Grief, Healing, Self Acceptance, Slow Burn, if there was a thing called organic fic this is it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-08-17 10:00:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8139952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amidtheflowers/pseuds/amidtheflowers
Summary: When they came to Wakanda, Darcy and Jane had not expected building a bridge to Asgard would mean taking a recovering ex-assassin with them.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sigridhr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sigridhr/gifts).



> So this is me taking my muse's advice against my better judgment and starting another multichap wintershock fic. Hahaha god help me
> 
> I don't THINK this'll be too long, but you never know. My track record of keeping things short is kind of terrible.
> 
> For Sigridhr, who is an amazing friend and writer and overall ray of sunshine. This one's all for you. I hope you like it.

**A Song of Suns**

**-:-**

**To Heavens’ God for help he prayed**  
**when waking, wounded to death;**  
**but on him fell the heavy sin:**  
**who had dastardly done him to death.**

**-:-**

  **Chapter One** : Awakening

The transfer from the eight hour redeye to a deafening helicopter did nothing for the pounding migraine behind Darcy’s eye, save perhaps give her a few hours of silence from Jane. The scientist had been all frazzled nerves and distrusting glances the entire flight to Wakanda, not that Darcy could blame her. The woman who had met them at the airport, the very same who now sat in the copilot seat, did not instill much confidence for trust.

When the helicopter landed on a helipad, it was not lost on either of them that they were in the middle of a massive jungle. A waterfall roared before them, and Darcy glanced out the window trying to spot the building they were supposed to have their meeting in. There were only trees and rock.

“What if this is another Tromsø?” Jane anxiously gripped the seat as she took in the wide expanse of jungle surrounding them.

“It won’t be another Tromsø,” Darcy said firmly, ignoring the whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. “For one, that was Shield. These people are definitely not Shield.”

“They could be.”

“We’re not,” the woman in the copilot seat drawled, not bothering to look behind at them as she swept out of her seat. The door next to Jane opened, and she glanced at Darcy one last time. At Darcy’s nod, Jane slid out and Darcy followed after her.

They stood awkwardly at the end of the helipad as the pilot and the woman fell into a deep discussion neither of them could translate. Jane’s eyes darted around them, a furrow in her brow.

“Where’s my equipment?” Jane drew forward, checking around them and the helicopter. “This venture is a waste of time without it.”

The woman paused, eyes taking in Jane’s stiff posture, and raised a slow eyebrow. “They have already been transported to your laboratory. There is no need for worry.”

Jane narrowed her eyes and Darcy swept a hand down Jane’s arm, sending her own distrustful look at the pilot and woman. “I haven’t accepted the offer yet.”

“Dr. Foster,” a smooth voice said behind them and Jane and Darcy whirled around. A handsome man stood before them, seemingly out of nowhere as Darcy still hadn’t found an actual _door_ anywhere. Not that she really focused on that any longer, for her mouth dropped open and she turned to Jane, hoping she was seeing what Darcy was seeing. “My associate’s word is true. Your belongings have already been brought inside.” He flashed a small smile before holding out his hand. Darcy noted a metal ring on his left hand. “My name is—”

“Your Highness,” said Jane, eyes widening in disbelief. “When I heard a beneficiary of the Wakandan government was interested in funding my research, I didn’t think it would be its King.”

“I prefer T’Challa,” he smiled again, looking between Jane and Darcy. “So you know of me.”

“Hard not to,” said Darcy bluntly. “You were on the news every day for a while.” Realizing the implication, Darcy glanced away and pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”

“I have accepted it,” was all T’Challa said, and Darcy was relieved to see neither annoyance nor impatience in his expression. If anything, he looked serene. “It is also what led me to your research. Am I correct in that you were nearly successful in creating an Einstein-Rosen bridge last December?”

Jane shifted nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nearly. It—ah, combusted before the bridge could sustain for longer than fifteen seconds.”

T’Challa nodded easily, as if expecting the answer. “We have a mutual interest, Dr. Foster. Allow me to persuade you to complete your research with a partnership.”

He gestured for them to follow after them, turning abruptly on his heel. Darcy glanced at Jane unsurely before following the king. She grew even more skeptical when they drew closer to the sheet of bedrock that circled around the clearing. He paused, pressing a hand against the wall gently, and Jane and Darcy startled when a section of the rock slid apart to reveal a darkened hallway.

“What’ve you got in there, King Kong?” Darcy muttered, and Jane smothered a laugh by clearing her throat. T’Challa, either ignoring the reference or hadn’t heard Darcy, went inside without a word.

The massive cliff was a deception, that was clear enough to Darcy. The corridors grew wider, brighter, until they were inside a large mess hall with rows upon rows of tables and bustling activity from the workers walking past them. T’Challa led them across the hall to another door, through a long corridor, until they stopped in front of a laboratory door.

“This will be your laboratory, if you choose to accept my offer,” said T’Challa, leading them inside. Jane’s jaw dropped and she immediately rushed to her equipment, laid out neatly along the floor. Her fingertips brushed over each of them, as if assessing if they were alright and safe. Darcy walked around the lab slowly, pausing at the advanced tech laid before her. A lot of them were ones she wasn’t familiar with and some of them were upgraded version of things Jane had tinkered with in the past.

“This is…very generous,” said Jane hesitantly, turning back to T’Challa. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand your interest in my research. Most people don’t take it seriously.”

“I am not most people,” T’Challa said quietly. Darcy stopped next to Jane, watching T’Challa as he fiddled with his ring. “People see your work and dismiss it as fantasy. You and I both know that is not the case. There is life beyond this planet, science beyond this realm.” Darcy’s eyebrows lifted and Jane had a similar reaction, going very still next to her. “I know you are aware of Shield and of the Avengers. You are close with the man from another world. Thor.”

Darcy wordlessly slipped her hand into Jane’s. “If you’re trying to use me to get to him—” Jane started dangerously.

T’Challa shook his head and held his hands up, smiling wryly. “I have no need. I have already made diplomatic contact with him.” Jane’s eyes went round. “He is agreeable to my proposition—he is the one who directed me to you.”

“H…how did you…?”

“He was here briefly.” T’Challa frowned slightly. “Minutes. Enough for me to speak with him, one king to another.”

“What’s your angle?” Darcy couldn’t keep quiet any longer. Jane’s hand squeezed hers as she continued, “You talked to Thor, and? Why did you call us here? What makes you think this lab, your equipment, will help Jane build an Einstein-Rosen bridge?”

T’Challa allowed Darcy’s question to sink in before he spoke, his voice soft but firm. “I have fully read your research, your trials, your errors, your brief successes. The alloy you’re using to sustain the bridge keeps melting, does it not?”

Jane inhaled sharply. “Yes. Every time.”

T’Challa nodded. “The missing piece to your puzzle. I believe I have that piece…and I want you to use it to complete the bridge. You will be able to travel to and from realms whenever you wish, at your leisure.”

“What metal could you possibly have? Nothing can withstand the heat once the machine starts,” Jane placed her free hand on her hip, giving the man a heavily skeptical look that made Darcy’s heart fill with affection. Even at her most uncertain state, Jane was fearsome.

T’Challa’s lips twitched. “Vibranium, Dr. Foster. Vibranium will not melt under the duress of your machine.”

“Vi…” Jane fell silent, mouth parting as her eyes flickered unseeingly in the distance, calculating in her head. Darcy turned to T’Challa.

“Why do you want Jane’s bridge? Why did Thor tell you about us? I just don’t see what you have to gain here other than using this science against someone.”

T’Challa shook his head. “I do not wish to interfere with their life or ours, or use this bridge in ill will. This is a promise I am keeping to a dear friend. He needs healing that this world cannot provide.”

Jane blinked. “…Asgard? You want to go to Asgard?”

“Yes.”

“But you talked to Thor—”

“There is a reason Thor’s travels to this realm are limited. It is difficult. Impossible for multiple parties the way we will need it. There is no control. We must rely on your research to allow this kind of journey and communication for a long-term period.”

“Who…who is it that needs that kind of healing?” Darcy asked slowly.

T’Challa stared at her for a long moment, then to Jane. “I need to know you agree to this research first. Trust must go both ways for this to proceed. I have told you everything. I offer my service, my equipment, my country’s metal, and all the time you need to succeed. In return, I ask only for your discretion and loyalty.”

“To you?” Darcy raised a questioning eyebrow.

T’Challa shook his head. “To _him_.”

**-:-**

Jane was the first to reach up and touch the glass, fingernails trailing softly until she dropped her hand. Darcy felt the breath rush out of her lungs, swallowing thickly as she stared at the man in the cryotank, eyes closed as if sleeping. And it would have seemed that way, if ice was not curling around him in a cold, lifeless grip.

T’Challa spoke for a long time. Darcy listened raptly to each word as she stared at the man with dark hair and a bruise under his right eye, suspended in a state of unhealing. Most of what T’Challa told them Darcy already knew—she never could shake the political science out of herself, and spent the better half of her evenings keeping up to date with current events. She’d seen the Shield breach, the files leak. She’d seen the news on Vienna, on the Winter Soldier manhunt six months prior, leading to the abrupt end of all news coverage on the matter. Now Darcy knew why.

Even in sleep, Bucky Barnes was unmistakably sad.

“Is he safe?” Jane asked.

“Those who wish him harm do not know he is here. The stasis is temporary. He is safe.”

“You misunderstood,” said Jane with a slight shake of her head. “Is he safe if he wakes up?”

T’Challa’s eyes shuttered, his mouth turning down into a frown. “Bucky Barnes asked to be put inside this until there was a way to fix his mind. Does that sound like a man who trusts himself when awake?”

**-:-**

All in all, it took a month.

The vibranium required total recalibration of the systems inside Jane’s machinery, which meant adjusting data and taking apart months of hard work. A good chunk of parts became redundant and had to be tossed out of the ER machine once the vibranium had been fitted, and Darcy pretended not to notice whenever Jane glanced wistfully at the growing pile of rubbish, the fond way she would stroke her fingers along their edges, or the small sniffle when the cleaning crew took them away to be disposed of.

Darcy had never seen Jane so determined—no, that wasn’t quite it. Since Darcy began working with Jane it had been long nights and utmost dedication, but there had always been the fifty percent chance that the results would be a dud, that astrophysics would be pernicious and not cooperate with Jane’s high hopes. It was self-preservation, the way Jane operated. Expect a lack of success, adjust the hypothesis, rinse and repeat. It was the way of science.

There was a new spark in how Jane was working now, a buzzing thrum of excitement just under the surface, and Darcy felt it run through herself as well. It was infectious—it was so _different_ this time, each systems check resulting in a greenlight, each batch of data supporting the previous set. They worked long into the night with caffeine pumping through their veins.

The evenings was also when Darcy went to see him.

She didn’t know why she did it. But she did, without fail, each night once there was no more science to be had. She would silently slip into the abandoned room where his cryotank stood, humming quietly, the glass cold against her fingers. His expression never changed. Darcy never expected it to.

“I’ve read about you,” Darcy said to the still air. “I can’t believe you’re alive even now.”

Her eyes traced the closed eyes, the long hair swept behind his ears, rough stubble covering half his face. “You’ve been dealt a shitty hand. I hope the machine works. I hope the Asgardians can unscramble what’s been done to you. I don’t know much about it, but Jane says they’re good with healing.”

Darcy shifted her weight awkwardly from either foot. “Well. It’s been real.”

The tenth night she went down to visit Bucky, someone was already there.

Darcy jerked back, gasping, at the tall figure looming over the cryotank. Her hand flew to the doorknob when the man turned to her, eyes widening in panic.

“Wait—I’m sorry,” he stepped forward, holding out his hands innocuously. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Darcy swallowed hard. “It’s my fault. I—I shouldn’t be here anyway. Sorry.”

The man’s lips twitched in a little smile. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind good company.” Darcy stared at him through the darkened room, still unable to make out his face. “I’m Steve. Steve Rogers.”

He held out his hand, and Darcy stared at it.

“You’re supposed to shake it,” he said dryly, and Darcy let out a soft laugh before shaking his hand.

“Sorry, was processing that. Steve Rogers, huh? Didn’t know I’d be lucky enough to meet Captain America in the flesh.”

Even in the dim light she could tell he’d stiffened, but his tone was polite as ever. “Not a Captain of anything anymore. Just Steve.”

“Huh,” said Darcy vaguely. “Well, Just Steve. I’m Darcy Lewis. I work with—”

“Jane Foster,” Steve finished, smiling sheepishly. “I know.”

Darcy raised a brow. “You know a lot.”

Steve shrugged. “It’s my job to know what’s happening around the people I care about. Besides,” he smiled again, “can’t let just anyone come down to visit him.”

At this Darcy paused, eyes rounding in shock. “They—people know I come to see him?”

Steve nodded with a hint of amusement. “Security cameras are still a thing, I’m told.”

Darcy wanted to smack her head. _Duh_. Of course they kept tabs on who came and went into Bucky’s room. Did she really think her midnight visits would be hers alone, undetected?

“God—right, yeah, my bad. Of course everyone knows. Though major kudos for them not telling me to back off.”

“If I may, ma’am,” Steve decided to forgo the name, which Darcy understood. Some habits could not be easily stamped out. “Why do you bother?”

Darcy shrugged. “Figured the guy could use some company. It looks awfully lonely in there.”

He huffed a small breath. “It does,” he said quietly. “It really does.”

**-:-**

Steve Rogers showed up every day in the lab that week. Incidentally, it was the week they finished the machine.

Darcy finished off the scribbled note and handed it to Jane. T’Challa, Steve, Jane, and Darcy stood warily around the machine set up at the edge of the waterfall. Jane inhaled deeply. “Well, here goes nothing.”

She flicked on the machine. It roared to life; air whipped around them, gathering leaves and dust until streaks of light shone through a foot in front of the machine. Darcy exhaled in relief when it didn’t burst into flame or putter out completely, marking it as a minor victory.

Jane sighed shakily. “Systems sustaining. Moving to phase two.” Jane set her shoulders and tossed the note into the light.

It disappeared, flying straight up. Darcy glanced at Jane then back at the light.

“Did it work?” Steve asked after a minute.

“We shall know soon,” said T’Challa, eyes fixated on the beam of light stretching up to the sky.

The light flickered. Suddenly the air reversed in direction, coming down hard onto the ground. Darcy saw a sliver of white slap against the rock. “Jane, turn it off!”

Jane reached over and flicked off the machine immediately. She crouched down to pick up the note that had returned, and opened it quickly.

Written in Darcy’s inelegant scrawl was, _Earth to Asgard. Ambassador Darcy speaking._

Written underneath in fine, swooping print, was, _Hello, Darcy. I have missed you and Jane very much. T_

“Holy shit,” Jane breathed, the note shaking in her hand. She looked at Darcy, then T’Challa, then finally Steve. “It works. Darcy, did you time that?”

Darcy nodded, holding up her phone. “Four minutes until contact was made. I’m going to go ahead and say this was in real time. None of that icky space-time compression all the movies get wrong anyway.” She grinned slowly and knelt down to hug Jane tightly, who latched onto Darcy with a quiet sob. “It worked, boss lady. It worked.”

She didn’t notice T’Challa gently pat Steve on his back, whose shoulders shook silently.

**-:-**

“We’re breaking you out of here tomorrow,” Darcy said gleefully to Bucky, propping her feet up on a desk as she slurped the takeout noodles with a long pause. “You’ll be counseled first, of course. Give you options, time to adjust. See if you’re willing to go for it, but from what the badass king told us, you’ll probably be more than okay with this.”

Bucky said nothing, unmoving. Darcy continued, “You’re so lucky. You’ll be the second human to see Asgard—first was Jane, of course. Steve will be the third since he’s going with you. I’m almost jealous, but I’m sucky with travel as is, so ER bridges probably won’t sit well with me anyway.”

Darcy jumped when the bright light in the room suddenly turned a deep shade of red. “What the…”

Darcy yelped when the door flew open, carton of noodles falling to the floor. T’Challa stumbled in, eyes blown wide with panic. He glanced at Darcy before going straight to Bucky and pulling out a keypad against the tank. “What—what the hell is going on?” Darcy jumped off the chair and backed away when the tank started to groan.

A loud crash outside had Darcy startling, heart pounding hard against her chest. “Sir—”

“We have been compromised,” he said, exhaling loudly. “Don’t be afraid. I knew this time was coming.”

“You knew?” Darcy narrowed her eyes. “What happened to him being _safe_ here? They’re after him, right?”

“No place is ever safe, Darcy Lewis. Anyone who tells you otherwise wants something from you.” He glanced outside the door before turning back to Darcy. “Take him to the machine. I’ve already sent Jane with Steve. Take him,” his hand gripped tightly on Darcy’s shoulder. “I will clear a path for you. I must fight.”

Wordlessly, Darcy nods in stiff, jerky movements. T’Challa nodded and with grim determination, left the room. Darcy turned to the tank and watched as the ice began to fade. It happened quickly—the frost around Bucky’s brows melted, steam billowing from the tube as the glass case began to lower. She swallowed thickly, waiting with bated breath for Bucky to wake up.

It started with a tremor running through his frame. Then his eyes flew open, mouth falling open to suck in a ragged breath. Darcy stiffened in fear when his eyes locked onto her.

He propelled forward and climbed out of the tank, eyes focused intently on her, but staggered once his feet touched the tiled floor. Darcy’s arms automatically went up to steady him but ended up staggering with him, the weight of his body falling heavily against her. He was shaking hard, gasping for breath and struggling to stay standing.

“Bucky,” Darcy groaned, gritting her teeth. “Bucky Barnes. That’s your name, right?”

A violent tremor ran down his back, shaking Darcy with him. His right arm came to steady itself around Darcy’s back, fingers gripping deep into her sweater. “You’re okay. You’re Bucky Barnes. Listen to me, okay?” When he didn’t respond, Darcy hefted his weight a bit and tried again. “Look, right now we need to get out of here. There’s some bad shit going down. People are after you—us, at this point. Shit. They’re probably crawling everywhere and T’Challa is only one man. Shit. _Shit_.”

Bucky inclined his head towards her. The unfocused look was fading in his eyes, and he started blinking rapidly. “…Bucky,” he said hoarsely, squeezing his eyes shut. “My name is Bucky.”

Darcy nodded wildly, glancing out the door again with rising panic. “Yes you are. You’re in Wakanda. Do you know where that is?”

He stared into nothingness for a moment before nodding uncertainly. “Good. We’re kind of getting shot at, right now. I think. King T’Challa is out there kicking some ass to cover us. Steve too, I’d guess. So we need to get out of here as fast as possible. I need you to walk with me. Can you do that?”

Another nod, this time with more clarity. The familiar names might have done it for him. She wondered why he was trusting her so readily, having expected more hostility, but refused to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She wished she had the time to clear his questions, had hoped this would be done with more tact and less threat of murder, but she worked with what she had. Gritting her teeth, Darcy muttered. “Alright, big guy. Let’s put one foot in front of the other.”

They stumbled forward, Darcy nearly knocked off her feet by how unsteadily Bucky was walking. Somehow they managed down three corridors without a hitch, Bucky slowly regaining the ability to use his legs and leaned his weight off of her bit by bit. Their luck ran short when they turned the next corner and a guy in tac gear nearly ran into them.

For a split second they only stared at each other in surprise, the man darting up to stare at Bucky’s face. Darcy did the first thing she could think of.

She kicked him hard in the groin. He went down like putty.

“On we go,” Darcy said, her voice slightly high-pitched, and Bucky stumbled after her, arm still slung around her shoulders.

“Good form,” she heard Bucky mutter, and Darcy nearly stopped walking. Her look of surprise made him give a pained grimace he tried passing off as a smile.

“Thanks. Coming from you I’m sure that’s like…a gold star. Shit,” Darcy yanked back and Bucky went with her, pressing against the wall. “There’s two. Shit.”

“No detour?”

Darcy shook her head. “Not a lot detours when we’re inside a cliff. We need to cross that corridor if we want to get out of here.”

Bucky said nothing. “We need to hide for a bit,” Darcy whispered. “Until they leave. I hear them getting closer.” She tugged on Bucky’s arm but he stood still, shaking off her arm. “What’re you doing? _We’re going to die!_ ”

He glanced at her before shaking his head, and whirled around.

The two men had reached the end of the corridor where Bucky and Darcy were standing. With a violent whirl Bucky flung his right arm out and slammed it against the heads of the men. They fell down instantly and Bucky kicked one hard in the head, knocking him out. Darcy lurched forward and kicked the other guy, sighing in relief when they stayed down.

Bucky leaned heavily against the wall for a moment, catching his breath. Darcy stared at him for a moment, marveling at a man who was still fighting for his life despite having just woken up from cryostasis—she doesn’t understand how he was standing at all. “Get their weapons,” Bucky said roughly.

Darcy licked her lips and felt around their pockets. She pawned off two guns and knives and handed them to Bucky. He took one of each and nodded at Darcy. “Use those.”

Darcy nodded, hoping with all her might that she wouldn’t have to.

In the end, she didn’t.

They reached the rock wall and Darcy felt for the button as Bucky watched and waited. When it slid open, Darcy held out her hand and Bucky grabbed it tightly.

“Where are we going?”

Darcy stopped a sigh, pursing her lips. “You know, we had a whole thing set up. A thing _I_ set up, specifically. A plan. For when you woke up.” Darcy glanced at him. His expression was unreadable.

“Steve’s here?”

Darcy nodded as they climbed down the broken path around the clearing. “He’s going with you.”

“Where?”

Darcy looked up at Bucky, really looked at him, and sent him a soft smile. “Asgard. To help with…everything.”

She left the words hanging, knowing he’d have no idea what Asgard was, but hoped that he understood the implication of her words. He must have, for he fell silent the entire way across the clearing.

Darcy picked up speed when she saw a tiny Jane-shaped figure crouched by the large ER machine. Bucky stiffened next to her and hung back when Darcy ran to Jane.

“Darce, thank god! I thought—I thought—”

“I’m okay,” Darcy smiled, almost shaking with relief. “I am. I got him out. Hey, Steve.”

Steve did not hear. He was rushing to Bucky and immediately supported the man’s weight. “Buck,” he said quietly. Darcy didn’t hear much else of what he said to Bucky.

All four of them stiffened when a helicopter emerged from the distance. A round of gunfire landed a few feet from where they stood. Darcy let out a scream when one bullet exploded behind her against the rock.

“The machine!” Darcy shouted. Jane immediately flicked on the switch and the telltale swirl of air and light began to form before the ER machine.

The helicopter landed on the pad. A small crew ran out, aiming for them.

“Can we go?” Steve turned to Jane desperately.

“It’s still warming up! The link hasn’t reached the sky yet!” Jane wrung her hands anxiously, eyes fixed on the men sprinting towards them. “I’m going to die, aren’t I.”

Something hardened in Steve’s eyes. “No, Dr. Foster. Nobody’s dying. Not while I’m here.”

He turned to Bucky, who stared at Steve with eyes that were utterly lost. “I’ll come later,” said Steve earnestly. “I promise. You have to go.” He turned to Darcy and Jane. “I’ll hold them off. Get him out of here.”

When Bucky tried to reach for Steve’s retreating back, Darcy grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Bucky snarled and shoved her off, sending Darcy staggering backwards. Scowling, Darcy said, “We need to leave! Jane!”

“Ten seconds!” Jane stared at her watch then glanced up at the sky. “Almost…almost…”

Indistinct shouting. Darcy hoped Steve and T’Challa were alright. From what she could see, Steve was holding off the goons pretty damn well.

“Now! Darcy, now!”

Darcy held out her hand to Bucky again. “Come on! We need to leave _now!_ ”

“Darcy!”

“Bucky,” Darcy shook her hand out, and his eyes flickered down before returning to her eyes. “Steve is busting his ass up there so we can escape. He will come. He’ll be okay. We need to go.”

A thread of understanding flickered behind Bucky’s eyes. His hand closed over hers.

Jane reached for Darcy’s other hand and the three of them jumped in the swirling light of the Einstein-Rosen bridge.

 


	2. Asgard

**Chapter Two:** Asgard

There was screaming—loud, proximal, with a steady stream of terror that was directly proportionate to the speed at which they ascended through the air—through the galaxy—through the universe.

It felt like nothing Darcy had ever experienced—not the tallest roller coaster, the weightless sensation whilst on an airplane, the time her bike crashed against a sidewalk and Darcy went flying through the air—none could compare to this. And from the way Bucky’s hand clenched around hers, his voice hoarse and choking against the vacuum of air rippling around the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, he probably felt the same.

They soared for an eternity that couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, until their feet collided against something solid and their loss of equilibrium sent them staggering. Jane’s hand broke away first but Darcy didn’t notice, immediately crashing to her knees and retching.

It might have been luck that sent Darcy careening to the end of the Rainbow Bridge. It wasn’t a cognizant thought—she could hardly see anything through her streaming eyes—but it was just as well, for Bucky stumbled with her and heaved next to her.

When the last of her tremors died down, Darcy moaned and weakly pushed away from the edge of the bridge, slumping over and pressing her cheek against the cool stone. Was it even stone? Darcy blinked against the bright light and the sour taste in her mouth, forcing her eyes open to look at the unsteady man beside her.

Bucky still held fast to her hand as he trembled against the ledge, gasping in short, shallow breaths. “Hey,” Darcy said softly. She quickly swiped at her mouth and shuffled closer to him, gently squeezing his hand. “You good?”

Bucky jammed his eyes closed, sitting back against his haunches as he panted hard. Darcy glanced around and finally took in their bearings.

When Thor had said ‘Rainbow Bridge’ Darcy thought it was just an Asgardian sense of purple prose, not an actual mirrored bridge shimmering the colors of the rainbow. Jane had confided Asgard’s beauty and technological advances but nothing came close the splendor that stretched before them, with the universe at their feet. Glittering stars spread about from where the roiling ocean below sloughed off, and across the right of the bridge, past mountains and far in the distance, stood a palace made of gold.

Darcy’s stomach turned at the sight, the brightness and colors all too much at once, and returned her attention to Bucky. His eyes were still closed but his breathing had slowed, his head bowed with his hair hiding half of his face.

“Hey,” Darcy said again, jostling their entwined hands slightly. Bucky turned his head a little to look at her. “You good?”

He blinked several times, as if trying to piece together what she was saying. Darcy tried again. “That was rough. Did not think it would…with the flying and the…you good now?”

Bucky looked away distractedly, staring at the bridge they knelt on and the ocean below, eyes trailing to where it fell off into a bottomless universe. Darcy’s gaze flickered to the corner of his mouth and she curled up towards him, clutching at the sleeve of her jacket before reaching up and wiping it clean.

Bucky jerked a little and looked at Darcy in surprise. She could hear boots pounding against the bridge and approaching them, and Bucky stiffened next to her. His hand finally slipped from hers as they turned around.

Jane was closest, looking from Darcy to Bucky uncertainly. Behind her approached a handsome black man dressed in elaborate armor and holding a golden staff, with a bull horn helmet on his head. Bucky’s whole body tensed and was instantly on his feet, grabbing Darcy’s arm in the process and hauling her up before shoving her behind him.

“Do not be afraid, James Barnes,” the man said serenely, slowing his steps. He glanced at Jane, who stood between Bucky and the man. “We’ve been most eager to meet you, although I admit we had not expected your party to come so soon. I am a friend of your companion, Jane Foster.”

Bucky’s eyes darted to Jane then back to the man. “Don’t actually know her,” he said hoarsely, his voice rough from disuse.

The man looked carefully between Jane then to Darcy, before returning to Bucky. “I am not familiar with the circumstances of your arrival, but I know you are here to help heal your mind. Is this correct?”

Bucky stilled, his fingers flexing uncertainly on Darcy’s arm. “Where am I?”

The man, whether sensing Bucky’s distress or out of innate wisdom, slowly removed the helmet and lowered his staff. “I am Heimdall. You are in Asgard. Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis,” Darcy jerked at the mention of her name, not realizing the man would know of her, “implemented scientific means to come to this realm. You are far from Earth, my friend. You are under our protection now. No harm will come to you.” Heimdall smiled, but Bucky only stared back.

“We were going to explain this all to you,” Darcy said quietly to Bucky, placing her hand over his. Bucky turned his head a little to look at her. “I know this is like, a lot to absorb or even believe, and I’m _so_ sorry this is being done in a real shitty way. I swear we had a twelve step plan and everything. And you would’ve had more choice. But it was either stay and get shot, or…”

“I get it,” Bucky said gruffly. “Seen a witch blast red energy from her hands and a pink man fly before I went under cryo. Just have to add this to the list of shit I don’t understand.”

Jane drew forward hesitantly to Heimdall. “Is…is Thor here?”

Heimdall nodded. “He is at the palace. Come, I will take you there.” A wry smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Normally I would not leave my post…but I think the situation demands it.” Heimdall looked at Bucky. “All your questions will be answered at the palace, James Barnes.”

Bucky did not move until Heimdall walked past them. Jane glanced uncertainly at Bucky and Darcy. “Um. Let’s…” Jane gestured forward and cleared her throat before following Heimdall.

Bucky still did not move, his eyes unfocused and distant. Tentatively, Darcy took a step forward, tugging gently on his hand. “Time to go, big guy.” Bucky’s eyes snapped to hers before glancing away, following her lead and letting her hand stay circled around his.

Crossing the bridge alone was a long and tiring process. Darcy kept shooting glances at Bucky, who was steadily running out of breath the further along they walked, though he made no other outward indication that he was in pain or uncomfortable. She sped up a bit to catch up with Heimdall.

“Isn’t there an easier way to cross this bridge? This has to be a mile at least.”

Heimdall nodded. “Horseback is customary. But there has never been need to travel from the end of the bridge in a very long time. It is usually a two-way trip.” He tilted his head up. “It is not far now. Once we reach the end we will travel to the palace by carriage.”

Frowning, Darcy slowed her steps until she was walking alongside Bucky again. His eyes slid towards her and Darcy smiled up at him encouragingly. Her smile shrank when Bucky looked away wordlessly, curling in on himself. It was then that Darcy took a moment to look—to really _look_ at Bucky. Apart from the metallic plate and covering where his left arm used to be, Darcy realized Bucky was dripping wet, remnants of the cryofreeze lingering in his hair and clothes—the latter which, to Darcy’s horror, was a simple white cotton tank and black pajamas. Her fears were confirmed when she noticed a tremor running through him.

“Shit,” Darcy stared openly at Bucky with worry, and he glanced at her. “God, you must be so cold. Right? I hadn’t thought—”

“It’s fine.” Bucky’s voice was quiet, not meeting her eyes anymore.

“No it’s not. Fucking—whoever’s attacking T’Challa’s fortress right now is in for a world of pain. We had a _plan_ , damn it, and you were supposed to—god, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be! Here,” Darcy shrugged out of her hoodie and offered it to him. “It’s small, but…”

Bucky made no move to stop her when she attempted to drape the small hoodie over his shoulders. It definitely did not fit and was just barely staying on his shoulders. Darcy didn’t notice the curious way Bucky was looking at her, too busy worrying her bottom lip. Darcy’s eyes darted to Heimdall.

Bucky followed her gaze, and this time he did try to stop her. “Don’t—”

“Hey—Heimdall, was it?” Darcy pitched forward until Heimdall paused mid-stride, turning to look at her questioningly. “Mind if we borrow your cape? It’s kind of chilly here.”

“Darcy…” Jane was trying to communicate something nonverbally that Darcy couldn’t quite translate.

For a moment Heimdall seemed baffled and then affronted—Darcy didn’t know the nuances of Asgardian titles and honors, but she was starting to summate that perhaps asking an esteemed warrior to shed his cape was as bad as stripping someone of their coat of arms or medals of honor. But just as quickly the odd moment passed, and Heimdall reached behind his neck to unclasp the cape and held it out.

Darcy took it from him with a smile. “Thank you.” She waited until Heimdall and a reluctant Jane resumed their brisk walk across the bridge before turning to Bucky, waving the cape with a triumphant smile.

“You shouldn’t’ve done that.”

Darcy shrugged, straightening out the fabric. “Tough cookies. He didn’t need it, you do.” Bucky slid off Darcy’s hoodie and watched as Darcy stepped forward. “Let me just get your hair first.” He flinched away when she tried reaching for him with one end of the cape.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.” Gruffly, Bucky took the cape from her and with a little maneuvering, wrapped it around himself. Darcy blinked when he held out her hoodie to her.

She took it carefully and they started walking again. Darcy couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her stomach when she glanced at Bucky.

**-:-**

They knew the moment they stepped foot in the palace that something was very wrong.

The entrance doors hadn’t finished closing behind them when it started. Voices, one booming and thunderous, another mighty and indignant, and a third that hardly spoke, quiet and hissing and wounded, all swirled in the entrance hall of the palace.

Bucky stiffened beside Darcy when the indistinct voices escalated into shouting. Through the corner of her eye she saw a glint of silver, and realized Bucky had taken out the knife she’d stolen from the men Bucky had knocked unconscious during their escape. She watched, entranced, as he slowly turned the blade expertly through his fingers.

“Wait here,” Heimdall said firmly before striding to the set of double doors across from them that undoubtedly led to the rest of the palace. Darcy and Jane glanced at each other.

“You heard him?” Jane asked.

“Yep. Thor all the way through,” Darcy confirmed.

Jane nodded, her eyes lowering in thought. “I think…I think I also heard—but it can’t be, he’s dead…”

Bucky glanced warily between the two women as they switched their communication purely through nonverbal means, with wide eyes and tilted heads. They came to the same conclusion, for Jane whirled around and strode to the doors Heimdall had walked through with Darcy hot on her heels.

Darcy threw back a glance at Bucky. “Wait here,” she said quickly and turned back to follow Jane.

“Yeah, right,” Bucky muttered under his breath, gripping the knife firmly in his hand and catching up with the two women within seconds.

Jane said nothing when Bucky shoved himself in front of her and opened the door first, body tensed for action and the knife held dexterously poised in his right hand. The vague shouting escalated the second they walked through, and Darcy sucked in a breath at the scene that lay before her.

Heimdall had his hands gripping Thor’s arms tightly, restraining him as he glared angrily at an old man garbed in regal gold armor and matching eyepatch. Kneeling tiredly on the floor was a man in stark contrast to the others—pale, shaking, with long black hair and a wicked grin that lighted his green eyes.

“Have you no empathy?” Thor said quietly, the low tenor of his voice sending a shiver down Darcy’s spine, as if she were the one who should be ashamed. Bucky shifted imperceptibly closer to her. “Do you not see why Loki—your _son_ —did what he has done? Have you become so blind to the cosmos you don’t recognize the imprint of Thanos in this?”

“Do not speak that treacherous name in this house—” the old man started angrily.

“I will speak it!” Thor drew to his full height, though he did not strain against Heimdall in the slightest. “Loki has been silent not without purpose. His actions—assuming your identity, what he did on Midgard—do you truly not _see_ , Allfather?”

“I see a thrice traitor to my name,” the old man whispered, but just as devastatingly if he had shouted it. “I cannot stand for it. The kingdom will not let this pass.”

“He has a right to a fair trial,” Thor gritted out.

“So he may spread more lies? Loki hasn’t spoken a word of truth in decades.”

“You wound me, Odin,” the man kneeling on the ground— _Loki_ , Darcy thought—gave a slow smile. “Have I gone that soft? I’ve been lying for centuries.”

“Loki, keep quiet,” Thor hissed to his brother.

“Why? Am I putting a dent in your plans?” Loki snarled back. The wounded look that crossed over Thor made Darcy’s heart pang.

“The nine realms are no longer safe,” Thor turned back to Odin, looking at him seriously. “It is only a matter of time before Thanos fixes his sight on Asgard. Loki has valuable information we need if we hope to survive, let alone save the realms.”

There was a beat of silence. Jane shifted restlessly next to Darcy but Bucky was still frozen in place, ever watchful. Even Loki had gone still, looking carefully at Odin with an indescribable expression.

“So he does,” Odin said finally. “And he will tell us everything.” Odin turned his eye to Loki, who stared back at Odin with an oddly blank look. “Take him to the dungeon.”

Thor roared something untranslatable as three guards hauled Loki from the floor and walked him towards the doors which Darcy, Bucky, and Jane stood in front of. They stepped out of the way as the guards approached, Loki laughing breathlessly as he was dragged along. His eyes slid over them, and seeing Jane he flashed a grin. “Surprise,” his grin widened when Jane frowned, shaking her head slowly. Loki’s eyes skipped over Darcy and landed straight on Bucky.

The grin faded, and Loki and Bucky stared at each other for a long moment. The guards had to shove Loki forward as he had stopped walking, and Darcy caught Loki’s last glance at the former soldier with an expression that was unmistakably curious.

Bucky stared after Loki, frowning.

Heimdall, having no reason to restrain Thor anymore, briskly walked over to where they stood. “I thought I told you to wait outside,” he said disapprovingly. Jane didn’t answer, her attention transfixed on Thor, who seemed to have finally noticed the trio by the doors. Thor glanced briefly at Odin before approaching them.

Though still angry, a hesitant smile managed to tug at the corner of Thor’s mouth as he took in Jane. “Jane,” his voice was low, full of warmth and hope.

Jane’s mouth ticked up, but she made no move to step closer. “You came on-world to see King T’Challa and forgot to call. _Again_.”

“Aye. My time allowance on Midgard was constrained and I had to return immediately. Loki…” he faltered, his eyes dropping down to the floor.

“Is alive,” Jane finished softly. “I noticed.”

“Much has happened since you were here last,” Thor said gravely. He glanced behind to Odin again, who was watching them with a hardened expression. “We will have to discuss it later. Come, I will introduce you.” Thor turned to Bucky, who was watching the exchange curiously, but still kept a firm grip on the hilt of his blade. “You are James Buchanan Barnes,” Thor smiled gently, and held out his hand. “I have heard much of you. I am Thor, son of Odin. Welcome to Asgard.”

Bucky stiffened. He muttered, “Name is Bucky.”

Thor’s smile softened. “Well met, Bucky.” His hand still in the air, Bucky eyed it carefully before tucking away the blade and clasping Thor’s hand. Thor beamed and gave a strong shake, pulling Bucky in a little to thump him welcomingly on the back. Darcy hid a smile when she heard the breath knock out of Bucky’s lungs.

Thor led them to the center of the room where Odin stood. Despite his wizened appearance there was something frightening about the way Odin stared at them, as if his one good eye could see through their souls and unfurl thoughts hidden away far in the edges of their minds. Bucky sensed this too, shifting further away the group until he was behind Darcy, who was behind Thor and Jane.

“Father,” Thor stepped away and turned to Jane. “You remember Lady Jane.”

Odin did not nod, but acknowledged Jane with a quiet, “I did not think you would succeed in creating another bridge to our realm.”

Jane straightened her back, tilting her chin up. “You keep underestimating me.”

The corner of Odin’s mouth twitched. “There are more Midgardians in the palace than there ever has been in our entire history. Do you think this should inspire confidence?”

“I think for someone who’s thousands of years old and has seen all the universe, you should be more open-minded to change,” Jane retorted, folding her arms over her chest. It took a lot of self-restraint for Darcy not to cheer her on.

Odin did not answer. His eye traveled to Darcy, then to the silent figure looming behind her. Thor immediately jumped in.

“This is Lady Darcy, Jane’s long-time companion in science and friendship. She aided in the research that allowed the bridge to come to fruition.” Darcy could not decipher the look Odin gave her, but was relieved she didn’t get any quip on her behalf like Jane had. Darcy was many things but right now, in a new realm and before the king of the universe, Darcy was feeling less and less like a badass and more like a weenie.

“Behind her is Sergeant Bucky Barnes. He is who I spoke of, in my diplomatic venture with King T’Challa. He will be staying here for some time, with our healers.”

Odin fixed his gaze on Bucky. It traced slowly over his face, the damp hair curling around his jaw, to Heimdall’s cape draped loosely around his body. Darcy shifted minutely so she could look at Bucky, and saw the hard edge of his jaw clenched tightly.

Softer than Darcy thought possible from such a grim old man, Odin said, “Do you think you can be helped?”

Bucky was still, jaw clenching and unclenching. Quietly, he answered, “I don’t know.”

Odin lifted his head, then nodded. “I hope you find what you seek. But have no illusion that this place will cure you. Sometimes there is no such thing.”

Odin turned then, his red cape swirling at his feet as he used Gungnir to throw open another set of doors and left the room.

Thor exhaled quietly. “That was better than expected.”

“I can’t believe he’s on board with this,” Jane muttered, tightening her arms around herself. “He hates our kind, why would he let one of us have access to your healers?”

“He does not hate Midgardians or Midgard,” Thor shook his head. “But he has lived longer than anyone and seen enough to be wary. There is a reason the realms are separated as they are.”

“Still doesn’t explain why he’s okay with this,” Darcy raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m super happy he is, but your old man’s welcome was as warm as an igloo.” Bucky snorted softly next to her, and Darcy gave him a little smile.

“I am King Regent, in many ways,” Thor explained. “Diplomatic relations, settling of matters, council, these are all my duties now. Odin does not interfere anymore, unless I do something remarkably stupid.”

“Like going to Jötunheim and asking for war?” Jane asked innocently.

 “Throwing a mug of coffee and shattering it because you wanted more?” Darcy added helpfully.

“Now, see, _that_ was a mere cultural difference,” Thor pointed at Darcy, and she grinned. “But yes, something like that. I…I like to think I’ve grown wiser since we first met.”

“You have,” Jane reached forward and ran her hand down arm, fingernails trailing on the silver-plated armor. Thor smiled down at her gently, lifting his hand and cupping her jaw.

Darcy looked away and turned to Bucky instead, who was finally taking in their surroundings. His eyes roved over the high ceilings and archways, the elaborate furnishings and palace guards stationed at every exit. Heimdall was still standing nearby, stationed at the doors which they entered from, watching them with careful, golden eyes.

Bucky’s hand came around to tug Heimdall’s cape closer to himself, his breathing uneven. The day was finally catching up with him, from their narrow escape to the dreadful journey through Jane’s ER Bridge, to the complete visual and sensory overload that was Asgard. His eyes were darting everywhere, overwhelmed and tense and exhausted.

“Hey, Thor. Thor,” Darcy interrupted the entwined couple, and Thor pulled away from Jane to look up at her. “It’s been kind of a really long day and I wondered if there’s any rooms for us to stay…?”

“Yes, of course!” Thor withdrew from Jane and sent Darcy and Bucky a smile. “Your rooms have been prepared for weeks. You’ll be staying at the palace—come, I will show you to them. But,” Thor looked to Bucky uncertainly. “I understand the present circumstances haven’t been fully explained to you. We could discuss them now, or you can rest first. It’s entirely your choice.”

Bucky was a little taken aback, and flustered away from Thor’s intent and patient gaze. “…Could do with some rest.”

“Excellent! Follow me,” Thor waved off a guard and someone palatial who insisted Thor need not trouble himself with showing them to their rooms.

Bucky paused, slipping off the cape and then striding to Heimdall and holding it out to him. Heimdall shook his head and took the cape, only to drape it more firmly around Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky looked visibly troubled when he rejoined Darcy.

They came to a set of long, winding staircases that rivaled any tourist castle Darcy visited during their stint in England. They went up five floors, down several corridors and drafty open halls, until Thor stopped in front of a door. “This has been set for you, Bucky Barnes. If you need anything, there’s a bell in your bedchamber. You need only pull it.” Bucky nodded slowly. Thor gestured to the door right next to Bucky’s. “That will be your quarters, Darcy.”

Darcy blinked. “Wait, I have my own room? I’m not sharing with Jane?” Darcy glanced at Jane. “I honestly don’t remember what it feels like not to be sharing a place with her.”

“It is yours, if you find it agreeable,” Thor smiled. He cleared his throat, ducking his head a bit. “Jane, your rooms are a bit—bit further away.”

Darcy snorted and Jane shot her a dark look. “Go on, you two get reacquainted,” Darcy shooed them away and Thor smiled giddily before looping an arm over Jane’s shoulders and striding off, leaving Bucky and Darcy alone in the corridor.

Darcy twiddled her thumbs together, rocking on the heels of her boots. “Guess this is us.”

“Yeah.”

Darcy glanced at him unsurely. “If you need anything, just…I’m right here.” Darcy pointed her thumb at the door to the left of Bucky’s room.

Bucky said nothing, but nodded slightly at her. He reached out and turned the knob on his door, then shut it quietly behind him.

Sighing, Darcy opened her door.

**-:-**

“Why—won’t—you— _move!_ ” Darcy hissed angrily at the taps aligned on the ornate sink in her bathroom. After having spent the better part of fifteen minutes marveling at her rooms—a four-poster bed and crystal goblets on the small bedside table, sparse but very much royal furnishings—Darcy wandered to the bathroom and promptly got stuck there, unable to figure out how to work the sink.

Growling in frustration, Darcy pulled away from the sink and stalked out of the bathroom. She wondered if Bucky was facing the same problem. “Probably figured it out in a second,” she muttered darkly. Still, it could be something. And if Darcy was using this as a way to see him again, well, that was another issue entirely.

When she went to Wakanda with Jane, grasping at any straw that promised to aid in the completion of Jane’s Einstein-Rosen Bridge, Darcy never thought she would actually be _traveling_ to Asgard herself, let alone bringing ex-assassin Bucky Barnes. It became clear, though, the moment T’Challa made his intentions known, that their partnership was contingent on Bucky’s recovery. Jane and Darcy did not mind—who were they to stop someone from getting advanced medical treatment?—but the lingering doubts troubled Darcy, and they persisted even now.

Jane didn’t know nearly as much about Bucky as Darcy did—Jane barely remembered learning about the Howling Commandos back when she was still in high school, and had missed the entire Winter Soldier/Sokovian Accords fiasco under a flurry of research and astronomical equations. Jane had no time to focus on these things but Darcy could. Darcy had a political science degree. It was expected.

After agreeing to the deal, Darcy had immediately done her reading, scouring every last bit of intel on Bucky she could get her hands on. The most useful bits came from the Shield-Hydra breach a few years ago, then the fallout with the Sokovian Accords—Darcy had snorted heavily at that, and couldn’t believe so many had signed the contract—had they even _read_ the fine print?

Darcy knew going into this agreement would probably not end the way T’Challa wanted, and seeing the outcome now only confirmed it even more. There was more to this than healers and traveling to Asgard. She didn’t know Bucky Barnes but she had his history and…and Darcy knew it would take a lot more than advanced medicine to help him.

Maybe that was why Darcy was here, staring at Bucky’s door with a growing frown. Darcy was good with understanding people. She used this skill her whole life, with Jane; it’s what made their relationship and workmanship as symbiotic as it was. She pegged it to this fact, that this is what was drawing Darcy to him more than she was really even being paid for—checking in on him, wanting to help him, that was not in the fine print of her contract. But she wanted to do this. Knowing what she did…Darcy set her jaw. She _needed_ to do something. Not since nobody else would.

Darcy raised her hand and knocked on Bucky’s door twice. On the third knock the door flew open, and Darcy jerked back.

“Hey…so does your sink work or is it just me?” Darcy took in his angry scowl that mirrored Darcy’s ten minutes ago.

Bucky’s frown deepened. “It’s not just you.”

“ _God_ , what is with these people?” Darcy stepped in when Bucky stood off to the side to let her through. “You’d think being this superior realm with fancy magicky tech they could make operating a bathroom easier.”

Bucky sauntered behind her, following her into his bathroom. “Yeah, it’s the same,” Darcy murmured. “I’m not sure what…you can’t twist it to turn it on, you can’t pull it up, it doesn’t have motion sensors…wait, maybe this…” Darcy stared contemplatively at the long, hook-like spout that was flanked with two crystal knobs. “You don’t think…?” Darcy glanced at Bucky uncertainly. He gave a noncommittal shrug. Slowly, Darcy reached for the spout and yanked it upwards.

Water shot out of the spout and Darcy pumped her fist in the air. “Ha! Who says you need to take Home-Ec to know how to run a household?”

She turned to Bucky, beaming. Something lifted in her stomach when she saw he was smiling at her—a small, tiny thing that was barely there, but smiling all the same.

Chewing her lip, Darcy took the small chance this was. “Listen, probably around dinner Thor’s going to tell you what’s going on, what’ll happen once you start getting…treatment, how this place works. But you still don’t really know what’s going on, what that machine was that took us here, what _here_ even is—heck, you don’t even know who I am, or Jane. So—so if you want, only if you want! I could, you know…explain some things to you. Everything, explain everything. Get you up to date. You know, how it was supposed to be.”

Bucky’s lips twitched at her monologue, and when Darcy finally braved a glance at him, she saw him nod. “Okay.”

Darcy lit up, smiling brightly, if not a little manically. “Okay! Okay, wanna sit? Let’s sit.”

From the bathroom was the bedroom, and Bucky didn’t bother detouring out into the living area, settling against the pillows with his legs crossed, boots long forgotten and lying in a heap near the bedroom door. Darcy quickly undid the laces of her own boots and slipped them off, sighing in relief at the small freedom and settled across from Bucky on the bed.

“So,” Darcy clasped her hands expectantly. “What do you want to know first?”

Bucky stared at her. “You.” His eyes flickered next to her where the door was. “And Jane. How did you end up in…all this?”

“Right, that. So me, a college grad that does astrophysics work with Jane. She’s the brains of the operation and I’m the sheer force of will that helps keep everything together. Jane’s been trying to build a bridge between worlds for the last few years, before I even met her. Long story short, I was her unpaid intern, Thor fell out of the sky one day while we were collecting data, and voila! We witnessed an ER Bridge. Jane’s been working on recreating that and a few weeks ago, in Wakanda, with the help of T’Challa, she succeeded. And here we are.”

Bucky shifted at the mention of T’Challa. “How did you end up with him?”

Darcy shrugged. “He contacted us. Offered us fully paid research to finish Jane’s bridge. He said he would fund us completely. He had the right metal for us to finish the bridge…when we asked him why he was doing this, he showed us…well, you.”

Bucky looked away. “You know who I am? What I’ve done?”

“Yeah.” Darcy’s eyes dropped to Bucky’s hand, now gripping the comforter in a tight fist. “He said he made you a promise. And came to the conclusion that this place, Asgard, is the only place that could…undo whatever it is that needs to be undone. I think it was smart,” Darcy nodded in approval as she leaned back, pressing her palms to the bed. “We’re billions of lightyears away from earth. We’re the first humans in history to do this kind of intergalactic space travel. You’re safe here.”

“Nothing’s ever safe,” Bucky muttered.

“True. But it’s saf _er_. You have to admit that. No Hydra, no Shield, no shitty government diplomacy that is actually just a snake in sheepskin.”

Bucky’s mouth ticked up slightly. “Don’t you mean wolf in sheepskin?”

“Eh, same difference,” Darcy shrugged.

Silence stretched between them briefly. “You still didn’t tell me about you,” said Bucky.

“Really? I thought I got the bases covered,” Darcy frowned.

Bucky shook his head slowly. “Still don’t know who you are. Said you do astrophysics with Jane, but that doesn’t explain why you were the one to wake me up.”

Darcy’s eyes widened. “Oh,” she breathed, the air rushing slowly out of Darcy. She hadn’t really considered that part, or that Bucky would care enough for her to get caught. “Well…I have a degree in political science. So I don’t actually _do_ the hard science Jane does, I just help out. I needed the research credits and Jane needed an intern. So there’s that.” Darcy cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably when Bucky continued to watch her. “As for why I was the one to wake you up…” Darcy shifted again, raking a hand through her hair. “Don’t be weirded out, okay?”

Bucky lifted a brow, waiting, and Darcy sighed. “Once our research started, at the end of the day I kind of…would…visit you. Not in a weird way!” Darcy reassured quickly, holding out her hands. “Just…I don’t know, I liked visiting. That’s why I was there when you woke up. I was already there when shit hit the fan in the compound.”

Bucky looked at her strangely, not alarmed like she thought he would be, but in a way that left her motionless on the bed, waiting for what he was building up to say. “You…you wanted to visit me?” Darcy nodded, wary. He looked at her in disbelief. “In the tank?”

Darcy lifted her chin, looking him in the eye. “Why not?”

Bucky turned away, staring at his hand that gripped the bed sheet until he loosened his fist. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know. I wanted to.” Darcy gave a half-shrug.

He was quiet for so long that Darcy started to drift listlessly against the end of the bedframe. If the room weren’t so still and the air so quiet, she might have missed it when he said, “I thought you were my handler.”

He met her eyes, his blank to hers wide with shock. “At first. Just force of habit…whoever woke me from cryofreeze was usually my handler. Saw you and it was instinct, thinking that.” He leveled her with a steady gaze. “I know you’re not. You can relax.”

Darcy shuddered out a breath. “Yeah, I’m…not that.” And it made sense, a bit. Why he listened to her when she told him to hang on to her and follow her out of the compound, why he stuck close to her and tried protecting her when Heimdall first appeared, but did not offer the same protection for Jane. “I don’t think I’d ever fit that bill. Not that I want to.”

Bucky smirked, surprising her. “Should’ve realized right away. None of my handlers were ever so soft.”

Darcy’s mouth parted. “Okay, insults? Really? I’ll have you know I do all the heavy lifting of Jane’s science equipment, and I have biceps of _steel_.” She demonstrated by lifting her arms and flexing.

Bucky snorted. “Not like mine was.” His eyes flickered to his left shoulder, staring at the metal plate that ended abruptly where an arm once was. Suddenly the light humor in the air turned cold, and Bucky was no longer smiling.

Darcy waited a beat, then slowly slid her legs off the bed. “We should rest,” she said softly. She bent down to grab her boots, then turned to give Bucky one last look. He was staring out the large window, eyes blank.

“I’ll just be next door if you need anything.” Darcy slipped quietly out of the room and back into hers, pressing her back against the door and sighing quietly.

Whatever it was Darcy had signed up for, she knew this much: Darcy was vastly, and utterly, unqualified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I cannot _believe_ the response I got for the first chapter. I'm still in disbelief. The overwhelming support floored me and it means so, so, so much.
> 
> I have no idea what _Thor: Ragnarok_ has in store for us so I took the path of skipping right over it and straight to Loki's identity being revealed. He's going to be important in this fic.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you thought. xxx


	3. Aggravated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a long time (cough, over a year), but I'm coming back to the swing of things and trying to finish my WIPs. And also to finish this fic, as my beautiful friend Sigridhr deserves to have a completed gift <3
> 
> Unbeta'd, for reasons beyond my control.
> 
> I hope you enjoy x

**Chapter 3:** Aggravated

Bucky had half-expected Thor to arrange a grand feast with hundreds of Asgardians seated at long, wooden tables, with rounds of roaring laughter and ales and meats and fruits.

What he was met with instead was a private room, brightly lit with torches along the walls and a relatively modest-sized table seated for two in the center of the room. There were still ales and meats and fruits, but in a far less distracting atmosphere—most likely for Bucky’s benefit, to put him at ease. He’d only known the guy for an hour, and already he figured Thor was pretty damn insightful.

Thor was already waiting inside when Bucky came in, grim-faced and unsure. Thor’s smile widened and he strode quickly to usher Bucky inside and invite him to sit.

“I will be honest with you, Bucky Barnes,” Thor said, once they were all sat down. “I do not know if my people and our medicine will help you. Asgard is not a place of miracles, but we do have more advanced remedies than Midgard.”

“Midgard?”

“Earth,” Thor supplied, and Bucky nodded slowly.

“Sir. If this is too much trouble for you, I’ll leave. I didn’t have much say in coming here and it feels a little rude to come demanding for cures, if you asked me.”

“It is no trouble having you here,” Thor waved his words away, grabbing a drumstick and taking a small bite. “The haste of your arrival is…regrettable. But there is truth in your words. You did not have a say coming here.” Bucky straightened a little, looking at Thor guardedly. Thor smiled gently. “We are not your jailors, and Asgard not your prison. You may leave, now if you wish it.” He tilted his head. “Perhaps not _right_ now, as there is still turmoil at the Bifröst sight. But know you are welcome here. Nobody will approach you, nobody will inquire after you. Here you have the freedom that your planet currently does not give.”

Bucky’s eyes flickered away, staring into his wine goblet. The picture Thor was painting for him was more appealing than any of the food on the table.

When he looked back at Thor, he said, “So what is this planet, anyway?”

Thor grinned as he began piling his plate heartily with food. “This is Asgard, the head of the nine realms that governs and protects them. Earth does not do intergalactic travel and is separate from most of this knowledge, but it is part of the nine as well. There is Jotunheim, home of the Frost Giants. Svartalfheim, Àlfheim, Muspelheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, and Niflhiem. My father Odin, who you met earlier, is king of the nine realms. I am his son, as is my brother Loki.”

“I remember him,” Bucky muttered, recalling the strange look they’d shared as Loki passed by.

“He is a trickster,” said Thor with a wistful smile. “But it seems I’m the only one left to admire his games.”

“What, playing tricks?”

Thor chuckled. “If only it was that simple. No, my brother is not your garden variety mischief maker. His favorite trick is to make a double of himself and fool me into believing he’s really there—typically ending in some injury on my end.”

Bucky gave Thor a dubious look. “Make a double?”

Thor smiled slowly. “Oh yes. With _magic_.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, making Thor laugh loudly.

**-:-**

Darcy could not stop smiling.

Asgardians were fucking _hilarious_. Since she sat down at the feast, she had heard not less than twenty different tales of misadventure, ten which involved Thor in his youth (‘youth’ being a loose term for ‘nearly three hundred years ago’), and four of those brought forth old photos that were enchanted to move slightly and shimmer gold in the light. Darcy nearly inhaled her ale when she saw Thor and his brother Loki in what could only be described as an 80’s mullet hairstyle.

“Jane,” Darcy gasped, “why didn’t you tell me what it was like here?”

Jane shrugged, sheepish. “I wasn’t here for that long, Darce. And there _was_ the whole Ether situation happening. Not exactly a conducive environment to get to know everyone. Mostly, everyone wanted me gone.”

“Now that is lies and slander,” Fandral said, pointing flourishingly at Jane. “We were most excited to have a mortal join us on Asgard for the first time in a millennia! It was you, Jane Foster, who was so bewitched by our artifacts and technology that you were too absorbed in studying them to notice the rest of Asgard around you.”

“Sounds like Jane,” said Darcy, earning her a swift glare from Jane, who was fighting off a blush with little success. Jane’s eyes flickered up and she smiled slowly. Darcy followed her gaze to see Thor saunter into the hall, his own smile widening as a roar of cheers announced his arrival.

Darcy’s eyes skidded past Thor, but it was only him. Bucky had not come as well.

Darcy said as much once Thor settled nearby Jane and Darcy. “We’ve already dined privately and discussed his stay,” Thor explained, grasping a tankard and taking a generous sip. “He has retired to his rooms.”  

“Did it go well?” Jane asked.

Thor nodded. “He will go to see Eir in the morning to begin his healing.”

“That’s fast,” said Darcy. “Not a second to lose, I guess?”

“Can you blame him? Probably wants to get it over with,” Jane muttered.

Darcy took a bite of food, glancing at the doorway.

**-:-**

Nighttime in Asgard did not have the thrum of traffic or the soft sound of crickets echoing in the distance, but something far worse.

All night. It kept her up all. Night. Darcy’s hair was even more wayward and unkempt than usual that morning from the number of time she tossed in her bed, not counting the times that the sound would _wake_ her up during the night.

In the morning the sun shone brightly in her room, unrelenting to Darcy’s groaning. She crawled out and approached the windows but could not for the life of her figure out how to block the sun—there was no curtain or blind or _anything_ for Darcy to cover them with. Grumbling curses under her breath, Darcy climbed back in bed and stuffed a pillow over her face.

Then began the godawful chirping. _Again._

“Oh for fuck’s _sake_ ,” Darcy said loudly and flipped the covers off. She was going to get to the bottom of this right the hell now.

Throwing the door open, Darcy startled into Bucky. He looked up just as he was opening the door to his room.

“You up too, huh?” he said, dryly.

“The space pigeons won’t shut up,” said Darcy grumpily.

“Yeeah. Just found out they’re called…Brangaboras.”

“How do you know this?”

“Asked Thor. Saw him in the hall just now. They’re native to Asgard, apparently.”

“I hate them.”

“I do too. That’s their mating call.”

“For fuck’s sake.”

“That why you up?”

“No,” Darcy admitted. “It’s the windows. There’s no curtain. Everyone can see my business and the sun got in my eye.” She took a moment to take him in; he was already dressed and ready for the day. “Is that why you’re up early too?”

“The birds didn’t help.” Bucky shrugged. “I’m not much of a sleeper.” He nodded at her bedroom. “I figured out the window problem, though. Mind if I show you?”

“Please,” Darcy stepped aside to let him through. He sauntered in, careful not to brush against her as he did.

He walked up to the windows and reached for the wall where the last window ended. He pressed against it and a panel revealed itself. Darcy’s mouth parted when he pressed a button and suddenly, the windows began to grow darker and darker until they blocked all light entirely.

“Wow,” Darcy noted as Bucky adjusted the knob until a tolerable amount of light filtered through. “Asgard needs to come with a manual. How’d you figure this out? Another bit of wisdom from Thor?”

Bucky shrugged again, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Found it by accident.”

Darcy nodded. They stood for a few moments, an awkward silence stretching between them. “Hey, I heard you and Thor had a good talk last night.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, guess I did.”

“I’m glad that…well. It doesn’t matter. Good luck today, alright?”

Bucky pressed his mouth together and nodded, not meeting her eyes. “If that’s all, I’ll let myself out.”

She nodded, and he walked to the door and closed it behind him. Darcy sighed, releasing a breath she did not know she’d been holding.

It took Darcy under an hour to work out the shower and find the closet—hidden behind yet another panel—showing her an array of clothes for her to choose. They were prepared for her size already, which was a relief. She didn’t know _how_ exactly that was, but she thought better to ask about it just yet.

There was a wide range to choose from—fancy, flowy dresses, even fancier and flowy-er dresses for special occasions, simple cotton dresses, some trousers and peasant top style shirts. Darcy opted for a simple blue cotton dress, not wanting to stick out in a crowd on her first real day.

When Darcy arrived in the hall, she realized that breakfast was as much an ordeal as dinner for the palace. She felt the sudden surge of nerves creeping up inside her at the sheer noise and quantity of folks in the hall where food was served. Yesterday had been tolerable as she had stuck by Jane’s side like static cling, but today that was not the case. Jane had not come down yet, but Thor had and Bucky had as well. She can tell why, and wished she had too. The crowd was overwhelming.

Darcy grabbed a handful of bread and ducked out of the feast hall quickly before anyone could notice. She stuffed the bread in her mouth and took a large chunk, her stride slowing as she wandered down the halls.

The people in the halls thinned out, until Darcy was wandering in new territory. There were torches dimly light all along the castle, casting flickering shadows along the golden walls. She reached out and traced her fingers along the gold as she walked, and they felt cool to the touch.

It was interesting to note that the palace guards seemed to be stationed at all corners and halls, nondescript in their helmets and heavily padded armor while holding staffs or swords. She supposed in a place as highly regarded and powerful as Asgard, _and_ in its central palace, such precaution was necessary.

Darcy turned another corner, having eaten half the rolls of bread by now, and inhaled sharply when she came upon two large, oaken doors. Vines were carved intricately along it, sprawling up in beautiful patterns with brass door handles at its center. Two guards stood on either end of the doors, and at first Darcy considered moving along and continue her walk. But this was the first thing that caught her interest all morning, and Darcy would be damned if she let it go.

Clearing her throat, Darcy stopped before the guards. “Hey there!”

They stared. One of the guards raised an eyebrow.

“Can I go in?”

The guard on the left who’d given her the inquisitive look inclined his head at the door, as if it were obvious that she could. Smiling brightly, Darcy walked past them and pushed open the doors.

She was met first by sunlight, blindingly bright and pouring into the large room from the sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows. Then her mouth promptly dropped when she saw she had stepped into the largest library she’d ever seen.

“No way,” Darcy breathed. Hastily she closed the doors behind her and glanced around, taking note that nobody else seemed to be here. Which, considering it was fairly early in the morning, wasn’t very strange. She walked in wonder; every inch of wall space was covered in books, tomes, scrolls, and strange boxes with even stranger patterns sealed on them. The years they were dated in made absolutely no sense, but she could tell which ones were truly ancient and which were bound in more moderate methods. She was fascinated at the amount of books that seemed to glimmer and gleam on their own, like softly swirling smoke against glass.

Shoving the last bit of bread in her mouth, she dusted her hands on her skirt and reached for a shimmering book of green and gold.

“This is better than the best sex I’ve ever had,” Darcy mumbled against the bread, marveling at how the painted pictures inside had glittery backgrounds that moved on their own.

“I truly pity the poor souls you’ve lain with.”

Darcy screamed and whirled around, nearly dropping the book. She almost choked on her bread when she saw it was Thor’s brother, Loki, who was perusing the shelves beside her.

He only offered the barest of smirks before flicking his hand at a book. It promptly slid from its slot and hovered before him. When he saw she was still staring, Loki glanced at the book in her hands and said, “That would be my coloring book from age eight. I suggest you choose the one on the left; that was during my grey period.” With that he walked away, the book he’d selected following eagerly behind him.

Swallowing hard, Darcy replaced the book and hesitantly walked out of the aisle, glancing around. He was gone. Frowning, Darcy slowly treaded past the shelves, darting glances as she went, and stopped when she came upon a row of desks. Loki was sitting on the largest one, legs crossed as he used magic to idly flick through the pages.

Now that she found him, what was she supposed to do? Why the hell had she even gone looking for him? Just as Darcy turned to return to the shelves, Loki’s soft voice stopped her. “I see you did not take to the grey period.”

Darcy turned back slowly, folding her arms over her chest. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Darcy.”

Loki looked up from his book and let his eyes wander over her before settling on her eyes. Darcy stiffened, curling her arms over herself all the tighter. “Yes. I see that.”

Darcy held back a sigh. How Thor kept up with him for a thousand years…

A loud, reverberating sound crashed from outside the library, startling them both. She heard distant shouts and a loud roar of anger. Darcy glanced unsurely at Loki, who was staring at the doors before glancing at her. He smiled, slowly. “That would be the soldier out of time.”

Darcy’s eyes widened in shock. Loki tilted his head in surprise. “Now _that_ face—I _do_ recognize you! Were you one of the mortals I frightened in New Mexico?”

Darcy rolled her eyes and headed to the double doors, pushing them open and peering out. The two guards were gone. She could hear loud shouts at the end of the hallway. She glanced up to find Loki peering over her shoulder with an inquisitive frown.

“Shouldn’t you _do_ something?” Darcy exclaimed.

Loki lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug, smiling wryly at Darcy’s bewildered expression when he started to fade before her. “Most unfortunately, I’m not really here. _Shh_ ,” he whispered softly with a finger on his lips as he disappeared.

Darcy pushed Loki from her mind and stepped out into the hall, following where the sounds of argument had been. She had only just rounded a corner when she ran straight into Bucky.

Shock made her mouth part to say something, but she thought better of it when she took him in. Bucky was shaking, a fine layer of sweat over him and he was panting heavily. He was no longer in the tunic she saw him in the morning but stripped bare, all except a pair of trousers. Even his feet were bare. Instinct told her to ask what was wrong.

Instead, Darcy said, “How many are following you?”

The somewhat crazed look in Bucky’s eyes didn’t necessarily leave, but she got him to focus on her. Bucky licked his lips. “Four. Five, including the lady running the exam on me.”

Darcy nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere. Not back there. Not to my room.”

She nodded again. “Right, follow me.”

Darcy waited until Bucky slowly trailed after her, and she marched them straight to the double doors of the library again. She ushered him inside and quickly closed the doors.

Bucky stumbled as he took in the entirety of the library, his eyes darting back and forth checking if anyone else was there. “I already checked. It’s just us,” Darcy assured. She considered mentioning the possibility of Loki’s projection popping up at some point, but thought better of it. She’d deal with him if it came to that.

“Feel free to look around,” Darcy continued, gesturing at the shelves, “I was just looking through some pretty neat glittery bo—”

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” Bucky said suddenly.

Darcy faltered, turning to look at him. “Oh. That’s—that’s good.”

Bucky stared at her, shifting his weight on his bare feet. “I didn’t.”

“I believe you.”

“Eir, the healer who was going to examine me. I…” Bucky stopped and looked away.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Darcy said softly. “Really. It’s not any of my business.”

Bucky met her eyes for a long moment. Then, he gave a short nod and a small, flickering smile. “Thank you.”

Darcy smiled, then turned back to the shelves. “Right. I’m gonna look around some. You can browse or sit, really, do whatever you want.”

Bucky glanced towards the row of tables and slowly walked over to them. Pulling out a chair, Bucky sat down heavily and dropped his head in his hand.

Darcy left him there with a sense of unease. She had no idea what had happened or why Bucky was so troubled, but she knew something must have set him off. Before now he had been for the most part alright, if not apprehensive at being on a new planet with unknown threats. Something had happened during his time in the healing room, enough to scare him shitless and run.

Darcy perused down the shelves, letting her fingers trail along the book spines. She stopped in front of a section at the back end of the library, filled with red leather-bound books. Darcy reached for one in the corner, then paused. Narrowing her eyes, Darcy leaned closely to the edge of the wood and saw, to her excitement, what looked like the same kind of concealed panel that was rampant in her room.

Pursing her lips, Darcy pushed.

She gasped and jumped back when the entire shelf flickered and disappeared. “Uh. Bucky?” Darcy called, eyes transfixed at the narrow archway that was now before her. “You’re gonna want to see this.”

Bucky found her in the back of the library frowning at the archway. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. It just sort of showed up.” Darcy glanced up at him. “How do you feel about a mid-morning adventure down a secret passageway?”

Bucky lifted a brow, then returned his gaze to the archway. “I got nothing else to do, I guess.”

She could tell he wasn’t fully present with her as they stepped through the dark hall, but when torches ignited on the walls as they neared them, Bucky’s focus sharpened to alert awareness. Luckily for both of them, it took less than a minute before they reached a wooden door at the end of the corridor. Bucky and Darcy glanced at each other.

With a shrug, Darcy opened the door.

It was a smaller library.

“Well this is anticlimactic,” Darcy muttered as they stepped inside. “I expected something better, for a hidden chamber. A flatscreen TV. Some squishy armchairs by a fireplace. A plate of cookies. Anything?”

“Uh…”

Darcy looked over her shoulder at Bucky and gasped. “Holy _shit!_ ”

A flatscreen TV was materializing, mounted on a wall. As were several armchairs beside a wood-burning fireplace, and a gilded silver plate of cookies. Bucky took several steps back and stood near Darcy, his expression guarded.

“No. No way.” Darcy shook her head. “We did not just find a Room of Requirement.”

“A what?”

“A room that gives you whatever you want. Oh my god,” Darcy bounced excitedly on her heels as she picked up a cookie.

“Careful,” Bucky warned, lifting his hand.

Tentatively, Darcy took a bite. “Oh my—Bucky, this is so good. I don’t even know what flavor this is. Quick, ask for something else.”

Bucky opened his mouth and paused, uncertain at having been put on the spot. Then, he said, “A bed? Please,” he added quickly.

Just like that, a row of shelves disappeared to reveal a beautifully made bed.

“Wow,” Darcy breathed. Bucky stepped closer towards the bed and ran his fingers over a pillow. “Why is this room hidden behind the library? Who made this?”

“Someone with magic,” Bucky remarked, grunting as he sat down on the bed. “S’good, the bed.”

“Yeah?”

Bucky nodded. Darcy settled down on an armchair, marveling at how comfortable it really was. “I could get used to this,” said Darcy, with a wry little smile. A thought struck her. “Do you think there’s other secret passageways hidden in this library?”

Bucky considered this. “Won’t know unless you check.”

“I think I will,” Darcy stood up and smoothed out her dress.

“I’m gonna stay. If that’s alright.”

Darcy nodded easily. “Sure thing. I’ll be back, alright?”

Bucky was already settling back on the pillows, and he replied, “Sure.”

Darcy left the room and walked back down the corridor, smiling as the torches fixed on the walls lit up one by one as she passed them. She reached the archway but this time the bookshelf she had made disappear was back in place. Light passed through it from where the books did not cover the entire shelf, and Darcy peered over the tops of a row of books.

The two guards were walking in the library, followed by a stern-looking woman Darcy guessed was Eir. Raising her eyebrows, Darcy backed away slowly and went back down the secret corridor to the room.

When she opened the door, however, the room was empty.

And Bucky was gone.


End file.
